Category: Credit Card Rewards
Thirty-six hours after leaving Osaka, we finally landed in Auckland. A direct flight would have been much shorter, but with the restrictions of award flights and last minute itinerary changes we ended up laying over in Tokyo and Sydney. View of Sydney, with the Opera House seen next to the harbor bridge. The 7-hour uninterrupted … Continue reading Park Hyatt Auckland
Our fourth (and third redemption) business class flight in less than a year was flown on Japan’s ANA. After comparing all of the four airlines I’ve taken, ANA has beat out EVA, Qatar, and Air France. ANA’s service can’t be beat, which is not surprising given how Japan’s emphasis on exceptional service is unparalleled. Another … Continue reading ANA Business Class
Anyone who’s watched Lost in Translation starring Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray will know the Park Hyatt Tokyo, which was prominently featured in the film. As the name suggests, it is a Hyatt property, and I wasn’t going to let my chance of staying at this place go. Instead of paying $1,500 a night, I … Continue reading Park Hyatt Tokyo
When flying to Europe, Joe and I like to fly with Air France for the cabin experience. The service in economy is attentive, and their meals are above average. Naturally, when it came time to book my flight to Norway, I went straight to AirFrance to redeem my 110k Capital One points for my round … Continue reading Air France Business Class
Post-pandemic airfares have been obstinately high this year due to increased demand and limited supply. Travelers have been willing to pay for these astronomical prices just so they can get away after being stuck at home for 2 years. Premium economy prices on transpacific flights have now doubled. Round trip business class flights now cost … Continue reading EVA Air Royal Laurel
After returning from Tanzania, we made a beeline for Vegas since Angela’s never been. For us, Vegas has always just been an overnight stop between home and our hiking destinations. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything else to see while in town. Walking through all the hotels for the decor and installations is a … Continue reading Reason Behind All The Madness
I feel like I’m just planning trips and not going anywhere. The reason why we’ve stayed put the last 4 months was so that I can train for Boston, which is happening next Monday. Unfortunately, a mid-January injury has lingered until now. I have resigned to the fact that 2 decades of marathon training and … Continue reading Third Redemption
Not even a year has passed since getting in the travel rewards game, and I have managed to make 2 redemptions with points and miles I’ve earned through credit cards. The first redemption is a pair of round trip business class tickets to Taiwan on EVA through Membership Rewards. The more recent redemption is a … Continue reading Capital One Miles Redemption
Since opening the Amex card in April, I have finally made my first Membership Rewards redemption. Transferring 189k points to ANA allowed us to booked our round trip business class seats on EVA between LAX and TPE for next fall. With RT EVA business class seats going for $6,800 per person, I got 7.1 cents … Continue reading First Membership Rewards Redemptions
I’ve reluctantly let go of my CSR. Just couldn’t justify having 2 premium travel cards. I managed to downgrade it to a no-fee Freedom Flex card during the grace period to get the full CSR annual fee back. What I didn’t realize was that the $300 travel credit is yours once used. Meaning the 2021/2022 … Continue reading Unexpected Windfall
Having had the Amex platinum card for the past 3 months, I’ve finally come to the conclusion of what this card really is. There are currently 2 premium travel credit cards here in the US - Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum (Citi Prestige has been discontinued, but it was never truly a contender). I … Continue reading Amex Platinum Thoughts
After spending a night at the luxurious suite at the Palazzo, it was hard to say goodbye. Alas, good things must come to an end. Before checking out, I logged 10 numbing miles on the fitness center’s treadmill, instead of running outdoors in 90F weather. Dry heat or not, it’s still too hot. I used … Continue reading Wynn Las Vegas
The key to snagging luxury for a bargain in Vegas is to visit on weekdays. Weekend nightly rates easily reach over $500, but weekday rates can be as low as half that. So I purposely booked one night at the Intercontinental Alliance Palazzo for a Sunday night after our weekend in Utah and Arizona (weekday … Continue reading Intercontinental – The Palazzo Las Vegas
Being situated in Coastal CA is most ideal for us. We have the Pacific on one side, and, in my humble opinion, the most spectacular landscape in all of America on the other side. I am referring to the Southern Utah and Northern Arizona region, where you will find my 2 favorite National Parks - … Continue reading Virgin Hotels Las Vegas – Curio Collection
I’ll be the first to admit - I LOVE planning for trips. Retirement has given me all the time in the world to do just that, and this year’s trip planning has been particularly rewarding. Unlike last summer, this year is starting to look like an expensive summer for travel. It all comes down to … Continue reading Trip Planning – A Competitive Sport
With travel beginning to thaw, the industry is pulling out all the stops these days to try to get people to sign up for their rewards cards. With Delta’s 90k sign-up bonus, Capital One Venture’s 100k, and Amex’s 75k, it can be hard to decide which one to sign up for. After some research, I … Continue reading Points and Miles Traveling Part Two
This is the year of traveling for “free”, thanks to credit card points and mileages accumulated. We have 4 upcoming domestic trips, between the end of May and the end of October, all covered by points and miles (I’ve decided to hold off on international trips for as long as the US requires Covid testing … Continue reading Points and Miles Traveling
FIRE'd @ 47 